Assembly agrees its response to the Proposed Changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy

Regional leaders are to lobby government to extend its timescales for increasing Yorkshire and Humber’s housing numbers.

And they are proposing a new policy to ensure the supply and delivery of new homes is managed in a way which addresses other key regional objectives such as urban regeneration and sustainable development.

Members of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly have met to agree their response to the Secretary of State’s proposed changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy, the document which will help shape the future of the region on issues such as transport, housing, leisure, economic development and the environment. (See notes to news editors).

Once completed, the RSS, titled the Yorkshire and Humber Plan, will set the framework to guide and direct where and how development and investment takes place across the region. Under new planning law, it will form part of the “development plan’’ for each local authority and be taken into account in determining planning applications.

In response to the Government’s suggested increases in housing numbers to 22,000 a year, the Assembly wants the step-up to take place from 2011, rather than 2008, as has been suggested.

Other key points agreed include:

• Concerns be expressed to Government over the required investment needed in infrastructure, to meet the demand and ensure delivery of sustainable growth;
• Priority be given to re-using brownfield sites, rather than greenfield sites, for development;
• To press for the Government to re-instate climate change and microgeneration targets in the RSS.

Local authorities, the region’s MPs, business organizations and a host of other sectors have been involved in helping draw up the draft Plan.

Assembly Chair Peter Box said it had consulted widely on the proposals, adding: “Our many partners have had a chance to influence our response to government- a response I believe is both practical, realistic and robust.

“Our comments are an important step in taking forward the work, which will help ensure regional planning continues to support the economic, social and environmental transformation of our region’s cities, towns, rural and coastal areas”.

And Chair of the Assembly’s Planning Board Steve Galloway commented: “After significant input from many people and organisations we hope our detailed recommendations will be taken on board when the Government finalises the Plan in the New Year.’’

Notes to editors

Government legislation in 2004 saw Regional Planning Guidance- the framework for local authority development plans which oversee development and land use applications- replaced by a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). In this region, this is called the Yorkshire and Humber Plan.

Once completed, the RSS will set the framework to guide and direct where and how development and investment takes place across the region. Under new planning law, it will form part of the “development plan’’ for each local authority and be taken into account in determining planning applications.

The draft RSS includes a broad strategy to shape the future development of cities, towns and villages across the region; regional priorities in terms of location and scale of development for economic development; housing; transport and communications; the environment ; tourism and leisure and urban and rural regeneration. It will also include a regional transport strategy.

As the regional planning body, the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly- the region’s strategic partnership made up of local authorities and representatives from business, education, the environment, voluntary and community organizations and other sectors- was given the task of drawing up the draft RSS by the Government .

An independent panel was then appointed to publicly test the draft RSS at an Examination in Public, held in Autumn 2006. Following that, the Government published the proposed changes to the draft Plan in September 2007. The final Plan is expected to be published in Spring 2008.

The Assembly had input from over 200 organisations and 4,000 specific comments from across the region, including more than 100,000 people visiting the Assembly’s website during consultation.